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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

Contributed by Mike Smolinski

USS Shadwell (LSD-15)

International Radio Call Sign:
November - Juliet - Alpha - Hotel
NJAH

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 24 June 1945) - Navy Expeditionary Medal (1-Cuba) - American Campaign Medal
Second Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp)
Third Row - National Defense Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (1-Cuba, 1 Dominican Republic) - Philippine Liberation Medal (1)
Individual Awards

Purple Heart (3-WIA, 24 June 1945)

Casa Grande Class Dock Landing Ship:

Authorized under the Lend-Lease Act as British Mechanized Artillery Transport Tomahawk (BAPM-7)

Reclassified Landing Ship Dock LSD-15, 1 July 1942

Contract awarded for LSD-15 to Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Newport News, VA., 10 September 1942

Assigned the name HMS Tomahawk, date unknown

Renamed by the United Kingdom HMS Waterway (F-146), date unknown

Lend-Lease canceled or modified never commissioned in Royal Navy

Laid down as Shadwell 17 January 1944

Launched 14 May 1944

Commissioned USS Shadwell (LSD-15), 24 July 1944, LCDR. William K. Brooks in command

During World War II, USS Shadwell was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaign:

**Asiatic-Pacific Campaign**
Campaign and Dates
Luzon operation Lingayen Gulf landings, 9 January 1945

Decommissioned, 10 July 1947, at Orange, TX.

Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet Texas Group, Orange

Recommissioned, 20 September 1950, at Orange, TX.

Decommissioned, 9 March 1970, at US Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, VA.

Laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, James River, Fort Eustis, VA.

Struck from the Naval Register, 1 November 1976

Final Disposition, ex-Shadwell is in the custody of the Naval Research Laboratory/Office of Naval Research, Fire Research Det. Little Sands Island Mobile Bay, Mobile AL. as the US Navy damage control test ship

USS Shadwell earned one battle star for World War II service

Specifications: (as reported by Office of Naval Intelligence, 7 April 1944)
Displacement 4,032 (light draft), 7,930 (seagoing - loaded)
Length 457' 9" o.a.
Beam 72"
Draft 8' 2 ½" fwd, 10' ½" aft (light draft); 15' 5 ½" fwd, 16' 2" aft (seagoing loaded)
Speed 17 knots maximum (design speed)
Endurance 8,000 miles @ 15 knots
Crew Complement 17 officers, 237 men; Landing Craft: 6 officers, 30 men
Troop Complement 22 officers, 218 men
Landing Craft 6 officers, 30 men
Speed 17 knots maximum (design speed)
Endurance 8,000 miles @ 15 knots
Crew Complement 17 officers, 237 men; Landing Craft: 6 officers, 30 men
Troop Complement 22 officers, 218 men
Well Deck Capacity (without prefabricated "Super-Decks" installed)

3 LCT (Mk V or VI) each w/ 5 medium tanks or

2 LCT (Mk III or IV) each w/ 12 medium tanks or

14 LCM (Mk III) each w/ 1 medium tank or 1, 500 long tons cargo or

47 DUKW or

41 LVT or

Any combination of landing vehicles and landing craft up to capacity
Well Deck Capacity (with prefabricated "Super-Decks" installed)

108 DUKWs or

92 LVTs or

Any combination of tracked/wheeled vehicles up to capacity
(Note: LSDs were incapable of repairing landing craft in this configuration)
Aircraft LSDs 1 - 27 (still in commission in late 40's or early 50's) were fitted/retro-fitted with a prefabricated steel grated "Portable Deck" suspended between the wing walls and supported by removable I-beam girders. The aft end of the portable deck contained a wooden helicopter platform, enabling the ship to land and launch 1 helicopter at a time. Stowage of helicopters was limited to capacity of the portable deck installed for the mission. Aircraft servicing was limited to re-fueling. With portable deck and aircraft platform installed, the Landing ship, dock was still capable of transporting, launching and repairing smaller amphibious craft and vehicles up to the size of a Landing craft, utility (LCU) in their well decks
Armament

1 - 5"/.38 caliber Dual Purpose single barrel mount in open tub (w/director)

2 - 40MM quad barrel Anti-Aircraft mounts (w/directors)

2 - 40MM twin barrel Anti-Aircraft mounts (w/directors)

16- 20MM single barrel Anti-Aircraft mounts (local control)
Propulsion

2 - Babcock and Wilcox Boilers, D Type, 2 Drum, Single Furnace, Single Uptake,
Oil Fired

2 - Skinner Engines - steam turbine (geared)

Twin screws

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
26k	*USS Shadwell* (LSD-15)** underway, date and location unknown.	.
71k	*USS Shadwell* (LSD-15)** underway, date and location unknown.	.
101k	*USS Shadwell* (LSD-15)** underway, date and location unknown.	.
50k	*USS Shadwell* (LSD-15)** in the Arctic ice, date and location unknown.	.
89k	Ex-*USS Shadwell* (LSD-15)** grounded on Little Sand Island in Mobile Bay, AL., as a result of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Photo from "Marine Line.com"	Ron Reeves

View the USS Shadwell (LSD-15)
DANFS history entry located at the US Naval Historical Center

Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
Fleet Reserve Association

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
USS Shadwell (LSD-15)(1)
ex-USS Shadwell Naval Research Laboratory/Office of Naval Research
The LSDs of the US Navy

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Last Updated 9 January 2009